DNR & Snakeheads

[buzz]

Recently I'm seeing reports of folks C&R northern snakedhead. I've seen posts on various forums claiming that Virginia doesn't require killing snakeheads. And others stating that MD DNR allows you to release snakeheads if you don't plan on eating them.

These contradictions encouraged me to look it up.... repeatedly.
I have employed search engines on many occasions looking for any and all official notices on the handling of invasive species. And although I honestly can't find anything published in 2014 that says you have to kill them, I can point to notices from other years that suggest that snakeheads should be killed if caught.

From a 2010 Press Release...

“We want you to catch and kill snakeheads,” says DNR Inland Fisheries Director Don Cosden. “This is not a species that we want in our waters.” .........................

.................Anglers in Virginia waters who catch a snakehead must immediately kill the fish and subsequently report the catch. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish hot line is (804) 367-2925.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/p...10/051910a.asp

And on the US Fish & Wildlife Service website, under snakeheads, they posted this in 2012....

What to do if you catch one: Do not release the fish or throw it up on the bank (it could wriggle back into the water). Remember, this fish is an airbreather and can live a long time out of water. Kill the fish by freezing it or putting it on ice for an extended length of time. Photograph the fish if you have access to a camera so the species of snakehead fish can be positively identified. Report the sighting (see below). Keeping data on the size, number, and location of where snakeheads are caught or seen is vital to controlling this invasive fish.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/news/2012/snakeheads.html

So I tracked down a phone number for the Fisheries Division of the DNR and called to find out exactly what is the official word.

I spoke with Don Cosden. He assured me that the DNR has not given up on eradicating the Northern Snakehead from our waters. He told me initially the notices stated that it was required to kill these fish. However, they were pressed to back down. They would prefer that every northern snakehead caught was killed immediately. Legally though, they cannot require people to kill a fish unless they give them a way to opt-out.

The law:
The US Fish & Wildlife Service has labeled the northern snakehead as "injurious wildlife" under the Federal Lacey Act, which makes it illegal in the U.S. to import, export, or transport between States without a permit. So if DNR or VA Fish & Game catch you with a live snakehead, you can be fined for transporting.

The Opt-out:
If you can't bring yourself to kill a fish, or you just don't want to help DNR in its efforts to over-fish the snakehead... then you can immediately release your snakehead right where you caught it.

[reel-em-in]

To add to your info: Straight from the 2014 MD Fishing Guide:

It is against Maryland, Virginia, and federal laws to possess, import, or transport
live Northern Snakehead.
If you catch a snakehead and want to keep it, you must immediately kill the fish by
removing its head, gutting it or removing its gill arches. The capture and possession
of dead snakeheads is not subject to any season, creel limit or size limit.

So the opt-out weasel words are there too. "...AND WANT TO KEEP IT...", so if you don't want to keep it you don't have to kill it, but must release it immediately like you said.

I was looking into this recently too. I was surprised to see some of the stuff I found made it seem like they are not as bad as originally thought.

[VuDism]

To add to your info: Straight from the 2014 MD Fishing Guide:

It is against Maryland, Virginia, and federal laws to possess, import, or transport
live Northern Snakehead.
If you catch a snakehead and want to keep it, you must immediately kill the fish by
removing its head, gutting it or removing its gill arches. The capture and possession
of dead snakeheads is not subject to any season, creel limit or size limit.

So the opt-out weasel words are there too. "...AND WANT TO KEEP IT...", so if you don't want to keep it you don't have to kill it, but must release it immediately like you said.

I was looking into this recently too. I was surprised to see some of the stuff I found made it seem like they are not as bad as originally thought.

From what I've read on the research the past decade... they really aren't that bad.

[Turtle135]

I know they want you to kill them immediately if you plan on keeping them. No keeping them alive in your livewell to kill later (I suspect what they are trying to prevent is someone bucket stocking them into another body of water).

My take is that we have not yet seen the full infestation of Northern Snakeheads in the Tidal Potomac River. I have been watching that population ramp up exponentially over the past 5 seasons. It is way too soon to think that the Northern Snakehead will not have a serious negative effect on the largemouth bass and the native fish populations in the Tidal Potomac. Let us see where we stand in another 5 to 10 years.

[wfauby]

For crying out loud...they arent native fish, KILL THEM and put their dying carcasses into the river...the turtles will eat them. I agree with Dave, we probably havent seen the extent of the infestation. Look at the extents other fisheries are going to (read $$$$$) to keep un-native Carp and muscles from messing up the Great Lakes. Save the bass, kill a snakehead (copy righted)

[DanMarino]

FYI, smallmouth bass aren't native to the Potomac either.

[Cowpokey]

FYI, smallmouth bass aren't native to the Potomac either.

[Cody]

What specific areas of the Potomac are infested with snakehead an have they made it into the lower Potomac yet


Pompano 120

[acg_osprey]

In general I am a not a big fan of messing with mother nature. I do, however, think that people need to have some historical perspective when discussing what happened with snakeheads in the Potomac. This has been going on, sanctioned or unsanctioned, throughout the history of fisheries in the United States and worldwide. Being native vs. non-native all has to do with the size of the perceived neighborhood. Largemouth Bass were introduced to Maryland waters in the 1800's, Rainbow Trout were stocked from out west at a similiar time, and every Brown Trout in the entire country comes from either Scottish or German stock originally. When the pioneers headed out west along with planting crops they dropped Striped Bass into many likely looking freshwater lakes, and we continue this habit today. How many ponds in this country are stocked with hybrid sunfish that would rarely or never be seen in nature? Flatheads and Blue Cats are here to stay as well although they didn't have to travel as far to call MD home.

50-100 years will tell the story of how the Northern Snakehead impacted the ecosystem of the Potomac River. Personally, I'm far more worried about our habit of poisoning our waterways making the fish unsafe to consume, and if we are not careful unable to reproduce. Another gamefish is just something we'll get used to.

All that said....I had a decent size snakehead break a rod on me last year so the first one I get this year is getting the Marie Antionette treatment and headed directly to the Weber...do not pass go...do not collect $200.00!

[DanMarino]

Those native Patuxent River fallfish sure are fun to catch.

[Turtle135]

What specific areas of the Potomac are infested with snakehead an have they made it into the lower Potomac yet

"have they made it to the lower Potomac yet" = yes, that is where they are

Pick any creek or bay in the lower Potomac and you will find Northern Snakeheads.

[Snakehead Hunter]

If anyone know a place that is infested with SH, please PM me. All I caught are those good for nothing LMB. So, toss those SH that you don't want to keep back and I'll do the same for the LMB!!!

[RockFlag&Eagle37]

If you're truly concerned about a non-native species disrupting a fishery, consider the blue cats. They're much larger and much less indiscriminate when it comes to feeding. I think when we look back in 50 or 100 years we're going to see that the blue cats did exponentially more damage then the snakeheads did. The snakeheads provide an interesting new fishery and (so far) don't appear to be having any major affect on the other species. The blue cats on the other hand are doing a number on the shad populations, while that's not terrible for mudshad, the american shad, river herring, hickory shad are all dwindling and the blue cats don't pick and choose the species of shad they devour. Reduce the shad and river herring population and other popular fisheries start to suffer, it's a vicious chain reaction. It'll be interesting to watch, for sure.

[Turtle135]

If you're truly concerned about a non-native species disrupting a fishery, consider the blue cats. They're much larger and much less indiscriminate when it comes to feeding. I think when we look back in 50 or 100 years we're going to see that the blue cats did exponentially more damage then the snakeheads did. The snakeheads provide an interesting new fishery and (so far) don't appear to be having any major affect on the other species. The blue cats on the other hand are doing a number on the shad populations, while that's not terrible for mudshad, the american shad, river herring, hickory shad are all dwindling and the blue cats don't pick and choose the species of shad they devour. Reduce the shad and river herring population and other popular fisheries start to suffer, it's a vicious chain reaction. It'll be interesting to watch, for sure.

Yep, I got a feel for those blue cats at the meet and greet this year, those things are just eating machines! I imagine they are eating the forage that young striped bass ought to be getting fat and healthy on.

[TalonAngler]

Blue Cat fish are now among the fish that DNR would like fisherman to keep if they are caught. Like Snakehead, it isn't a set in stone law, but they would prefer fisherman to kill upon capture.

As for the Snakehead, the rule goes for MD waters and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (which includes most Snakehead waters of VA); it is unlawful to possess a live snakehead. So they're leaving a loop hole. I'm definitely among those who believe that if you catch one, take it home and eat it, rather than releasing it.